Czech Republic Assumes Presidency of EU

On January 1, the Czech Republic took over a six-month rotating EU presidency. Some in the European Union have indicated concern of how well the Czech's would follow France's tenure, in which President Nicolas Sarkozy tackled a wide array of issues, including climate change. In contrast, Czech President Vaclav Klaus is a regular critic of major E.U. policies, and dismissed recent EU climate legislation has a "silly luxury" that will exacerbate the international financial crisis. Read more at Time